Manchester Library & Information Service (formerly Manchester Public Libraries)

The first Free Public Library in Manchester opened in 1852 at the Hall of Science in Campfield, following a successful campaign for subscriptions and the adoption of the Libraries Act 1850. The first branch opened on Stretford Road in Hulme in 1857 and branches were added regularly as the city grew. The central library has moved three times, finally opening in the Central Library building in St Peter's Square in 1934.

Summary

The collection includes records documenting the governmental, executive, administrative and promotional functions of the library service. The collection has been arranged by function both at the highest level and within departments at lower levels:

Committees (M740/1) includes the various committees which governed the library service;

Directorate (M740/2) includes executive materials such as correspondence, annual reports and donations;

Finance (M740/3) includes accounts and requisitions books;

Personnel (M740/4) includes staff registers;

Resource Services (M740/5) includes accessions, book purchasing and borrowing schemes;

Staff Development (M740/7) includes staff training records;

Central Library (M740/8) includes working records such as accession registers, visitor's books, newspaper cuttings, etc. from each of the central libraries (Campfield, King Street, Piccadilly and St Peter's Square) and their various departments, such as the lending, reference, and subject libraries;

Branch Libraries (M740/9) includes the same working records for the branch and district libraries;

Promotion (M740/11) includes the publicity of the library service, from newsletters journals to exhibitions to book lists;

Staff Activities (M740/12) includes the records of the Staff Association and individual librarians' papers;

Support Groups (M740/13) includes groups set up to represent users and friends of the library service.

Related Material:For information regarding the establishment of the Library, please look under the individual committees (M740/1/6) and M740/8/1 (Campfield Library).

See Local Studies:

027.4094273 CRE: 'The Manchester Public Free Library' by W. R Credland 1899

M68/11 (Civic Week 1926 exhibition posters)

A digitised copy of 'The Manchester Public Free Libraries: A History and Description and Guide to their Contents and Use' (1899) (with pictures) by W.R. Credland is available on the Internet Archive.